German Shepherd Border Collie Mix – (A.K.A Collie Shepherd Mix)

The German Shepherd Border Collie mix is a large mixed breed between a German Shepherd dog parent and a Border Collie dog parent.

In this article, we’ve done our best to help you find out what to expect if you’re looking to bring home one of these angel cross-breeds, or help you learn more about them if you’ve already got one as part of the family.

German Shepherd Border Collie Mix Appearance

It’s not the easiest job in the world to accurately determine what a German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog will exactly look like when a German Shepherd and Border Collie are cross-bred, as it greatly depends on which of the two parents the cross-breed takes the majority of its appearance genes from.

However, there are very common patterns when it comes to how the Collie Shepherd Mix looks like that we can tell you about so you can know what to expect.

Height & Weight

The German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog usually has a large build, strong and lean muscular body that looks very much like the body of their German Shepherd parent.

On average, the German Shepherd Border Collie Mix weighs anywhere from 75-80 lbs and stands anywhere from 22-29 inches.

Coat

The German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog has usually has a coat that looks much like that of its German Shepherd parent, as its coat’s color is usually mostly tan with a little bit black saddle.

The coat colors could also come in black, brown, white, cream or yellow.

Because of the large similarities in the coat color between the two, many people often mistake the German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog with a purebred German Shepherd dog.

As for coat thickness, this crossbreed’s coat is usually thicker than that of their German Shepherd parent.

Border Collie Shepherd Mix Temperament

Activity Levels

The German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog crossbreed mainly gets its love for high activity levels and playing around all day long from its Border Collie parent.

Besides the very high levels of energy this cross breed has built up inside it that require at least 2 daily walks to expend, the German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog loves to stay active and play around all day in some place like a backyard or park.

Watchdog

Thanks to its German Shepherd parent, the German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog is a very protective dog that will actively watch out for the safety of its owner and other household members, aiming to protect them from any possible harm.

When they’re suspicious of strangers or see a potential threat that looms around anyone they love and care for, Shepherd Collies will bark and make their presence known.

And oh boy will their barking be heard!

But don’t worry, this dog isn’t a chronic barker when there’s nothing wrong or any danger around, so you don’t have to worry about excessive barking when there’s no real reason for them to be doing so.

Working Dog

This crossbreed’s parent, the German Shepherd, is known to be one of the best working dogs out there, if not the best in this industry.

And, having inherited these capabilities from their German Shepherd parent, the German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog is also an excellent choice if you’re looking for a working dog to accompany you in various tasks.

Of course, this crossbreed won’t be as capable when it comes to these tasks as their purebred German Shepherd parent, but they can nonetheless get the job done fairly well.

Friendliness

Supposing that the people it’s interacting with are people it already knows and is familiar with, The German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog is a very friendly, gentle and playful dog that absolutely loves to have fun and fool around with the people it loves and cares for.

This is mainly a trait it gets from its Border Collie parent.

Training

Thanks to its higher-than-average intelligence levels that it gets from both its German Shepherd and Border Collie parents, this mixed-breed dog is easier to train than other mixed-breed dogs and will make it a breeze for you to teach it a few tricks now and then.

Collie German Shepherd Mix Health Problems

Generally speaking, this crossbreed isn’t as prone as other cross breeds to suffer from as many health problems, but they do nonetheless have a few health issues that they could suffer from, thanks to the genes they inherit from their parents.

Hip Dysplasia

German Shepherds are notorious for their potential to develop hip dysplasia during their lifetimes due to their larger-than-average size, while Border Collies are also known to be prone to developing hip dysplasia, although to a lesser extent.

And, German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dogs are just like their German Shepherd parents in their potential to develop hip dysplasia in their lifetimes.

Ear Problems

Ear problems are also fairly common among German Shepherds and Border Collies, so it only makes sense that their mixed-breed offspring will have higher than usual chances of suffering from these problems.

In some cases, and if the situation is serious enough and left unattended, it could ultimately lead to complete loss of hearing.

In other cases, this mixed-breed dog may just be born deaf.

Epilepsy

Another health problem Border Collies are known to suffer from more commonly than other dog breeds is epilepsy, which is sometimes passed on to the German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog.

On average, German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dogs are expected to live for around 13-15 years.

Border Collie And German Shepherd Mix Living Conditions

German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dogs are large sized dogs that like to move around a lot and remain active, so if you plan on bringing them home to somewhere like an apartment or property with no backyard, or do indeed have a backyard but plan on keeping them on a leash tied to something that limits their area of movement, that won’t be a good idea.

This cross-breed is a dog that likes to roam free in spacious areas.

The ideal candidate to bring a Collie Shepherd Mix dog home is someone with a house that has a large, fenced backyard as part of the property, where this cross-breed can play around and get all the daily exercise it needs on.

You’ll want to make sure to have a fenced backyard though and not an open one because this cross-breed dog can get into some trouble if a stranger passing by or another animal such as a dog or cat gets too close to “their territory”.

If you’re looking to bring this cross-breed home to a family that has children, then this is a very good choice as Shepherd Collie mix dogs are of the best family dogs out there.

Don’t be afraid about their German Shepherd half and any fears you might have that a 50% German Shepherd could be of any harm to your kids.

As long as the German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog is properly trained and socialized before you bring them home (preferably at a young age when they’re still a young puppy), they won’t pose any danger whatsoever on you, your kids or any other household member of yours.

On the contrary, they’ll be one of the most friendly, playful and protective dogs you’ve ever seen.

The problems happen when you get a German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dog home to a house with children in it, and one of two bad things happen:

• Either the dog itself wasn’t properly trained and socialized, which means that they may act a little rough with your kids

• Or the dog is properly trained and was properly socialized at a young age, but the parents at home haven’t taught their kids anything about how to properly interact with dogs without doing anything that might trigger a negative reaction out of them

German Shepherd Collie Mix Care

Grooming

Shepherd Collie mix dogs have fairly long coats that tend to shed excessively if not brushed on a daily basis (with seasonal shedding being a big issue with this cross breed), sometimes even requiring to be brushed multiple times a day.

The coat this mixed dog breed has is one of the most beautiful coats any dog breed out there has, which it takes most of it from its German Shepherd parent, so you definitely don’t want to slack off when it comes to this task in order to keep their coat healthy, beautiful and shiny.

As for bathing, please take note that German Shepherd Border Collie Mix dogs have fairly sensitive skin that can easily be agitated by a host of triggers, so only give them a bath when the need arises and don’t over-do it.

That leaves us with the other basic grooming practices for their ears, teeth and nails. The Shepherd Collie mix dog’s teeth will need brushing on a daily basis, their nails will need frequent clipping because they can get long real fast sometimes, and their ears will need cleaning frequently as well (around one time per week).